Since its foundation in 1996 by saxophone player Job Chajes, Amsterdam
Klezmer Band has evolved rapidly. In no time the band became famous in Amsterdam
for its many vibrant performances on the streets, in the parks and in the pubs.
Soon the rest of The Netherlands followed: the band performed at the Oerol
Festival in 1999, 2000 and 2001 to great acclaim and was invited to the
Noorderslagfestival in January 2001, followed by the Lowlands Festival in August
2001. During that period the band toured in Slovenia, Switzerland and Italy and
completed three successful tours of Turkey.

The third CD of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band, Limonchiki, was released on the New
York label Knitting Factory label and the band had a grand tour of the Dutch
club scene in the autumn of 2001, with as its highpoint the presentation of
Limonchiki at the Paradiso, Amsterdam.

In September 2003 the CD Katakofti was released. It’s the result of a
collaborative effort of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band and the Galata Gypsy Band
from Turkey. The CD was released on Turkish label Kalan Records. In January 2005
SON (Russian for ‘dream’) was released, containing a veritable treasure-trove of
new Amsterdam Klezmer and Balkan music. The album received an enthusiastic
reaction from the (international) press and led to a year of heavy touring and
playing gigs in clubs and theatres including world famous Concertgebouw
Amsterdam and venues in New York, Moscow, Paris and Hamburg.
now

Nowadays only part of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band repertory consists of
traditional pieces of Balkan or Klezmer origin. Most of the Amsterdam Klezmer
Band repertory has been created by the band members themselves, who all without
exception contribute musically to an ever-growing melting-pot of infectious
Balkan/Gypsy/Klezmer cross-over grooves. In this manner the band endeavors to
breathe new life into the Eastern-European Balkan, Klezmer and Gypsy music
tradition.